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TED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 

Department Circular 127. 

Bureau of Plant Industry 
(New and Rare Seed Distribution), 

WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief. 



ALFALFA. 



Instructions adapted to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, northwestern Maryland, and northern 

New Jersey. 

Object of the distribution. — The distribution of new and rare seeds has for 
its object the dissemination of new and rare crops, improved strains of staple 
crops, and high-grade seed of crops new to sections where the data of the de- 
partment indicate such crops to be of considerable promise. Each package con- 
tains a sufficient quantity for a preliminary trial, and where it is at all prac- 
ticable the recipient is urged to use the seed for the production of stocks for 
future plantings. It is believed that if this practice is followed consistently it 
will result in a material improvement in the crops of the country. Please 
make a full report on the inclosed blank regarding the results you obtain with 
the seed. , 

DESCRIPTION. 

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a deep-rooted, hardy, perennial forage 
plant, belonging to the family which includes beans, peas, and clover. 
It occupies the same place in western agriculture that clover fills in 
the northeastern part of the United States. In chemical composition 
it resembles the clovers, peas, and allied legumes in having a high 
protein content, but it slightly outranks any of these that are now 
under cultivation in both total and digestible protein and yields a 
greater tonnage per season. Since it is perennial, it will last a 
number of years unless crowded out by weeds or otherwise destroyed. 

SOIL REQUIREMENTS. 

A deep, fertile, well-drained, nonacid soil, reasonably free from 
weeds is required. The most favorable soil is a loam or sandy loam 
with a porous subsoil, but the greater part of the alfalfa in this 
region is being grown on types of much heavier texture. It is prac- 
tically useless to sow alfalfa on thin soils where the bedrock ap- 
proaches the surface, on land underlain with hardpan, or in loca- 
tions where the subsoil is so compact that the roots can not penetrate 
to considerable depths. It is also equally useless to attempt to 
grow alfalfa on land where the water table comes near the surface. ' 
For the purpose of ascertaining the character of the soil and subsoil 
and also the depth to the water table, frequent borings should be 
made with a soil auger. In determining the adaptability of a tract 
of land to alfalfa, this auger will generally be of more assistance 
than a chemical analysis. 

Xot only should the land have good underdrainage, but the surface 
also should have sufficient slope to carry off the surplus water readily. 
Well-drained river or creek bottom lands which are subject to occa- 

187366°— 20 



2 Department Circular 127, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

sional overflow are well adapted to alfalfa, provided the overflows 
are not of long duration. 

Limestone soils are in general particularly well suited to alfalfa, 
but even such lands are frequently acid and require liming in order 
that this crop may be grown successfully. 

PRECEDING CROP. 

When once started under favorable soil conditions weeds will 
likely prove the most dangerous enemy. For this reason it is best 
to precede alfalfa for one or two years with crops, like corn or 
potatoes, which permit of clean cultivation. Alfalfa may also fol- 
low wheat, oats, or barley to good advantage, provided the land has 
previously been treated in such a way as to destroy the weeds. 

PREPARATION OF THE SEED BED. 

If possible, at least six weeks should intervene between the time 
of plowing and that of seeding. Frequent harrowing should be 
given to settle the ground, produce the necessary fine tilth, and 
destroy the weed seedlings as they start. Where conditions permit, 
the land should be plowed deep in the fall, leaving it in the rough 
furrow over winter. The following spring it should be disked and 
then harrowed at frequent intervals until seeding time. Where it 
is desired to have the alfalfa immediately follow a small-grain crop, 
the soil should be deeply and thoroughly prepared before seeding 
to grain, and after this crop is removed the land should be disked 
thoroughly and harrowed frequently until seeded. It is seldom 
safe to plow such land, as there is not sufficient time for the seed 
bed to become thoroughly settled before it should be seeded. 

LIMING. 

Practically all the soils in the region under consideration are 
benefited by applications of lime. It may be applied with a manure 
spreader, a fertilizer distributor, a lime distributor, or by hand. Any 
method which spreads the lime uniformly and at low cost is satis- 
factory. It should be applied at least two or three weeks before 
seeding, in order that it may become thoroughly incorporated with 
the soil. At least a ton of burned lime is generally required, and 
larger applications are often necessary on the heavier soils. If 
ground limestone or ground oyster shell is used, the quantity should 
be double that of the burned lime. Experiments have shown 
very little difference in the final results obtained from the different 
forms of lime. Burned lime will give quicker results, but the ground 
limestone and ground oyster shell will finally give the same benefit. 
The essential element in lime in any form is the calcium oxid, and it 
is recommended that the farmer use whichever form of lime is 
cheapest, based upon the percentage of this element present. Where 
the consumer pays the freight, it should be remembered that he will 
not only have to pay such charges on practically twice as much of 
the ground limestone as of the burned lime, but will also be to the 

Novm 

Division of documents 



5B 



2.0 $" 



h f\ j±ia r Alfalfa - 3 

^ additional expense of hauling and spreading 2 tons of the former to 
(^ 1 of the latter in order to obtain the same results. 

FERTILIZING. 

Well-rotted barnyard manure which is comparatively free from 
weeds is the most satisfactory fertilizer. It should be spread on the 
land before plowing, in order that it may become thoroughly incor- 
porated with the soil. Good results also follow from heavy applica- 
tions to the preceding crop. If the manure is not available, a liberal 
application of commercial fertilizers, rich in phosphoric acid, should 
be made. The percentage of nitrogen may be low, but some nitrogen 
should be supplied for the young plants before they become inocu- 
lated and are able to secure their supply from the air. On most clay 
soils heavy applications of potash have not been profitable. A 
combination which has been commonly recommended is muriate of 
potash, 75 to 100 pounds; acid phosphate, 350 to 500 pounds; and 
nitrate of soda, 50 to 75 pounds. The cheapest and most satisfactory 
method by which the consumer may obtain such a combination is to 
purchase the desired ingredients and mix them in their proper 
proportions. 

INOCULATION. 

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria should be provided unless the soil is 
known to be naturally supplied with these germs. This may be best 
accomplished by scattering over the area to be seeded soil from a field 
upon which the crop has previously been successfully grown. The 
soil should be broadcasted at the rate of from 250 to 500 pounds per 
acre and harrowed in immediately. The spreading should take place 
on a cloudy day or in the evening, as the sun's rays are destructive to 
the germs. Care should be taken to avoid introducing noxious weeds 
and fungous diseases. Soil from the roots of sweet-clover plants also 
will inoculate alfalfa. Another method of inoculation which may 
be used is that of inoculating the seed with an artificial culture, a 
limited quantity of which can be procured from the United States 
Department of Agriculture free of charge. Full instructions for use 
accompany each bottle of culture. The combined use of soil and an 
artificial culture is recommended where both can be readily obtained. 

SEEDING. 

The seed should be sown at the rate of 25 to 30 pounds per acre, 
the heavier seeding being preferable, as it makes a finer hay and helps 
to keep down the weeds. It may be drilled or broadcasted with a 
wheelbarrow seeder and covered lightly with a smoothing harrow or 
weeder. A much more even stand may usually be secured by divid- 
ing the seed and sowing one-half each way of the field. Experience 
has shown that drilling gives a higher percentage of germination, and 
this being the case a smaller quantity of seed per acre is required than 
where it is broadcasted. 

A nurse crop is not recommended except where the alfalfa is sown 
in the early spring, when a light seeding of oats or barley (1 to 1| 



LIBRARY OF CONGRES 



022 265 375 

4 Department Circular 127, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 

bushels per acre) will help to keep down the weeds and, if it is cut for 
hay, may not seriously injure the alfalfa. 

The most favorable time for seeding is from the latter part of June 
to the middle of August. In northern Pennsylvania the best results 
are obtained from seeding late in June or as soon thereafter as mois- 
ture conditions are favorable. In the southern part of the region the 
seed may with safety be sown as late as the middle of August. Suc- 
cessful stands are also sometimes secured from seedings in late 
August and early September, but they are more subject to winter- 
killing and are not generally recommended. 

TREATMENT OF THE STAND. 

Late summer seedings will ordinarily require no further treatment 
until the following season, when three cuttings may be expected. 
The crop should be cut when the plants are beginning to bloom or, 
better, when the basal shoots appear. In spring seedings, unless the 
weeds threaten to choke out the alfalfa, the crop should not be 
clipped until it is 12 to 15 inches high and beginning to bloom. If 
the first cutting is light it may be left on the ground as a mulch, but 
if it is heavy enough to smother the alfalfa it should be removed. In 
all cases, cutting should cease sufficiently early to permit a 6-inch to 
8-inch growth for winter protection. When the plants become 
yellow they should be cut and removed from the field. If the stand 
becomes very thin or patchy, the field should be plowed and re- 
seeded. Attempts at patching up poor stands have not generally 
been successful. If the weeds threaten to destroy the alfalfa, culti- 
vation immediately after cutting or early in the spring with a spike- 
tooth harrow may prove beneficial. The alfalfa harrow, which is a 
modified form of the spring-tooth harrow, has sometimes given good 
results in this connection. It is quite well established that no im- 
plement which will seriously bruise the crowns should be used to 
cultivate an alfalfa field. When the crowns are mutilated, disease 
may enter and reduce the stand. A top-dressing of well-rotted, weed- 
free stable manure applied in the late fall or early winter will not only 
furnish plant food, but will also serve as a protection during the win- 
ter months. Where this is not available, an application of 300 to 500 
pounds of acid phosphate per acre, with a small amount of potash, may 
be beneficial. Alfalfa makes good pasture for nearly all kinds of farm 
animals, but under no circumstances should it be pastured until it has 
become thoroughly established or when the ground is wet or frozen. 
It should not be pastured closely at any time, for the grazing down of 
the crowns will often result in its destruction. Owing to the diffi- 
culties encountered in procuring and maintaining a good stand in 
this section, it is very doubtful whether one can afford to take the 
chances of injuring a well-established field by pasturing it at all. 

For further details, see Farmers' Bulletin 339, entitled "Alfalfa." 

JUNE O, ivZyJ. WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1920 



